A Study of Neonatal Mortality in a Specialist Hospital in Gusau, Zamfara, North-Western Nigeria

Introduction: The first 28 days of life is a critical time for survival of any child; more than 4 million newborns die yearly within the first four weeks of life with 3 million of these deaths occurring in the early neonatal period. Nigeria’s neonatal mortality rate is the highest in Africa and second highest in the world.

Objectives: This study was done to determine the causes of neonatal mortality and mortality rate among newborns admitted to the special care baby unit (SCBU) of a specialist hospital in Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study of causes of mortality among newborns admitted into the SCBU over a three year period. The case notes of all mortalities were reviewed and data on place of birth, age on admission, diagnosis and duration of hospital stay were extracted.

Results: A total of 853 neonates were admitted, of which 20.4% died. Males predominated (56.9%) and 56.3% died within the first 24 hours. The leading causes of death were birth asphyxia 65(37.4%), prematurity 45(25.9%) and neonatal sepsis 42(24.1%). Odds of mortality when born outside the hospital was not significant when compared with those born inside the hospital (OR=1.26, 95% CI= 0.86-1.85, P=.22).

Conclusion: The mortality rate observed in this study was high, majority occurred within the first 24 hours of life and attributable to preventable causes. Health education on importance of hospital delivery by trained personnel with training of healthcare personnel on neonatal resuscitation is advocated is advocated.